User customizable views of multiple information services

ABSTRACT

A user configurable interface view can be generated for a media device or other information handling system that is independent of any interface views defined by media content providers. Generating the user configurable interface view includes identifying content data streams that are included in user interface views defined by the media content providers and then selecting a desired subset of the data content streams. The selected data content streams are then aggregated and the user configurable interface view is generated. The resulting user interface view will be independent of any interface views defined by the media content providers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/259,884 which was filed on Oct. 28, 2008.

BACKGROUND

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to media devices includingportable media devices. More specifically, embodiments of the presentinvention relate to methods and systems for interfacing media deviceswith media content providers.

2. The Relevant Technology

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option available to users is information handling systems. Aninformation handling system generally processes, compiles, stores,and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or otherpurposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of theinformation. Because technology and information handling needs andrequirements vary between different users or applications, informationhandling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled,how the information is handled, how much information is processed,stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the informationmay be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in informationhandling systems allow for information handling systems to be general orconfigured for a specific user or specific use such as financialtransaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage,or global communications. In addition, information handling systems mayinclude a variety of hardware and software components that may beconfigured to process, store, and communicate information and mayinclude one or more computer systems, data storage systems, andnetworking systems.

One of the advantages afforded by technological improvements is theability to distribute digital media. However, the ability of informationhandling systems to present digital media information has not kept pacewith the ways in which digital media information can be distributed, thewide variety of digital media, or with the growing diversity among mediadevices.

For example, digital media information (e.g., music, video, Internetdata, sports data, news data, weather data, etc.) can be distributed tomedia devices via various networks including the Internet as well aswireless communication, such as satellite radio, WiFi, cellularnetworks, and the like. Given the diversity of media devices and mediacontent, many different types of devices have been developed to enjoythe growing availability of digital media information. Examples of mediadevices may include MP3 players, portable CD players, portable DVDplayers, notebook computers, cellular telephones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs) and the like. Digital media information can also beenjoyed on non-portable devices as well such as on desk top computers.

Oftentimes, a user desires to access specific content for the mediadevices. Typically a user accesses a media content provider and thennavigates through various interfaces defined by the media contentprovider to select the desired content. As will be appreciated, this maybe time consuming when the user desires to access a large number ofdifferent content. Further, the user's view of the content is controlledby the content provider. While this may be desirable from the contentprovider's perspective, the user typically would like to have analternative view of the content that is based on his or her preferencesand desired categorization.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

An embodiment disclosed herein relates to a method for a media device togenerate a view of a user configurable interface configured to showcertain content or services. Embodiments of the invention can arescalable and can be practiced in systems where multiple media devicesreceive content and/or services from multiple media content providers.The method comprises identifying one or more content data streamsincluded in one or more interface views defined by one or more mediacontent providers of the one or more content data streams, selecting atleast a portion of the identified content data streams that are to beincluded in a user configurable interface view, aggregating the selectedportion of the content data streams from the one or more interfaceviews, and generating the user configurable interface view, wherein theuser configurable interface view lists at least a link or pointer to theaggregated content data streams independent of the interface viewsdefined by the one or more media content providers.

Another embodiment disclosed herein relates to a method for generating aview of a user configurable interface configured to show user selectedcontent or services. This method may be practiced in a system includingone or more media devices that receive content or services from one ormore media content providers. The method comprises identifying one ormore content data streams included in one or more interface viewsdefined by one or more media content providers of the one or morecontent data streams in response to receiving a request from a mediadevice, selecting at least a portion of the identified content datastreams that are to be included in a user configurable interface view,aggregating the selected portion of the content data streams from theone or more interface views, generating the user configurable interfaceview, wherein the user configurable interface view lists at least a linkor pointer to the aggregated content data streams independent of theinterface views defined by the one or more media content providers, andproviding the generated configurable interface view to the media device.

A further embodiment disclosed herein relates to a media deviceconfigured to generate a user configurable interface view. The devicecomprises a memory, a processing unit, a user interface, a selectionmodule configured to select one or more content data streams included inone or more interface views defined by one or more media contentproviders of the one or more content data streams, and an aggregationmodule configured to aggregate the selected content data streams fromthe one or more interface views and generate the user configurableinterface view, wherein the user configurable interface view lists atleast a link or pointer to the aggregated content data streamsindependent of the interface views defined by the one or more mediacontent providers

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the descriptionwhich follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or maybe learned by the practice of the teaching herein. The features andadvantages of the teaching herein may be realized and obtained by meansof the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims. These and other features will become more fullyapparent from the following description and appended claims, or may belearned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of thepresent invention, a more particular description of the invention willbe rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that thesedrawings depict only illustrated embodiments of the invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention willbe described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a schematic drawing of a mediadevice;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a system including a servicecenter, media devices, and media content providers;

FIGS. 3A-3G illustrate various interface views in accordance withembodiments disclosed herein;

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate a user configurable interface view in accordancewith embodiments disclosed herein;

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a service center;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a method for a media device togenerate a user configurable interface in accordance with embodimentsdisclosed herein; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of a method for a service center togenerate a user configurable interface in accordance with embodimentsdisclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shownby way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention maybe practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized and structural changes may be made without departing from thescope of the present invention

For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system mayinclude any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operableto compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate,switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, orutilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business,scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an informationhandling system may be a personal computer, a network storage device, orany other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance,functionality, and price. The information handling system may includerandom access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as acentral processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic,ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components ofthe information handling system may include one or more disk drives, oneor more network ports for communicating with external devices as well asvarious input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, anda video display. The information handling system may also include one ormore buses operable to transmit communications between the varioushardware components.

Embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods forgenerating a user configurable interface view for a media device orother information handling system that may be independent of anyinterface views defined by media content providers. Generating the userconfigurable interface view includes identifying content data streamsthat are included in user interface views defined by the media contentproviders and then selecting a desired subset of the data contentstreams. The selected data content streams are then aggregated and theuser configurable interface view is generated. The resulting userinterface view will be independent of any interface views defined by themedia content providers.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a media device 100 that can receivecontent including digital media from one or more content providers orother sources. Examples of the media device 100 may include, by way ofexample, a satellite radio media device, a portable audio player such asan MP3 player or the like, a portable DVD or CD player, a personalcomputer, a server computer, a laptop computer, a cellular telephone, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), and the like or any combinationthereof. Embodiments of the invention may be practiced in portable mediadevices, but one of skill in the art can appreciate that embodiments ofthe invention can be used with other media devices able to receive andrender media content.

Typically, the media device 100 includes a display 102 that can visuallyconvey information to the user of the device. For example, when themedia device 100 renders digital audio data, the display 102 mayindicate the song title, the artist, the album title, the track number,the length of the track, and the like or any combination thereof. Themedia device 100 also includes a user interface 104 (such as controlbuttons, touch screen, capacitive input, etc.) or other means ofproviding input to the media device 100. The user interface 104, by wayof example, enables a user to navigate and activate the digital mediaand other content that is stored on the memory 108 of the media device100 or to navigate and perform any digital media or content that isreceived from an external source. The user interface 104 may enable auser to switch to another channel, such as in satellite radio, orotherwise select media content. The user interface 104 also allows auser to navigate menus or other information presented on the display102.

The media device 100 may further include a processor 106. The processor106 by way of example, enables media device 100 to execute variousprograms as circumstances warrant. In addition, the processor 106 may beutilized by one or more of the other modules or elements of media device100 for processing operations.

The memory 108 of the media device, which may include volatile andnon-volatile memory or any combination thereof, can be used to storecontent or other user and/or device data. The memory 108, for example,may store digital music and/or video, graphics, play lists, userpreferences, device settings, and the like or any combination thereof.

The content 110 represents different types of media including digitalmedia that may be received by the media device 100. Examples of thecontent 110 include, but are not limited to, digital music, talk audiodata, television data, movie data, podcasts, sports data, weather data,news data, Internet data, and the like or any combination thereof. Thecontent 110 may be associated with different rights or may havedifferent quality levels. Some of the content 110 may be owned by auser, rented, recorded live, streamed, and the like. In addition, thecontent 110 can be either digital or analog in nature. In someembodiments, the content 110 is stored in memory 108 prior to beaccessed by a user of the media device 100. In other embodiments, thecontent 110 is received dynamically by the media device 100 at the timethe user of the media device desires to access the content.

FIG. 2 illustrates one example of an environment for implementingembodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 includes a system 200 forenabling multiple media devices 100 a, 100 b and 100 c (collectivelymedia devices 100) to receive one or more services from the mediacontent providers 204 a, 204 b and 204 c. The system 200 also includes aservice center 212, which may be executing on server computer(s), forinterfacing between the media devices 100 and the media contentproviders 204. The service center 212 may communicate with the mediadevices 100 directly, or through a network 210, as illustrated in FIG.2. Likewise, the service 212 may communicate with the media contentproviders 204 directly, or through the network 210, as furtherillustrated in FIG. 2.

The media devices 100 a, 100 b, and 100 c may include, for example, anyof the media devices described in reference to FIG. 1. The media contentproviders 204 are representative of media sources providing digitalmedia that may be received by the media devices 100. The media contentproviders 204 may be sources through which a user may obtain music oraudio data, Internet data, video data, podcasts, text data, and the likeor any combination thereof. Exemplary media content providers 204 mayinclude, by way of example, satellite sources including digital radioand video, terrestrial sources, internet service providers, musicdownloads services, peer to peer networks, and the like or anycombination thereof. The media content providers 204 may include freeservices, that is services that may be accessed free of charge.Alternatively, the media content providers 204 may include pay servicesthat may only be accessed by clients who are billed a predeterminedamount, for example, a monthly charge, or a charge that is based onvolume of usage or based on user selections. Furthermore, the mediacontent providers 204 may either provide open access to the public, ormay require user authentication. As will be appreciated, for those mediacontent providers that require user authentication, no content orservices will be provided to a media device that does not provide theproper authentication.

The network 210 is representative of any network that is compatible withthe media devices 100 or the media content providers 204 and mayinclude, by way of example, satellite networks, 802.11 networks,personal computer networks (e.g., LAN, WAN), wireless networks (e.g.,Bluetooth, WiFi), cellular networks, telephony networks (e.g., landlineor PSTN), data networks, the Internet, and the like or any combinationthereof.

The service center 212 receives data streams 208 from the media devices100, and likewise receives data streams 216 from the media contentproviders 204. Exemplary data streams 208 and 216 include, by way ofexample, wired and wireless computer networks (LAN, WAN, Internet, WiFi,WiMax, EVDO, Edge Networks, GPRS, and the like), satellite signals,terrestrial signals, and the like or any other reasonable data stream.

Although illustrated as a single entity, the service center 212 can beimplemented in a distributed computing environment where tasks areperformed by local and remote processing devices that are linked (eitherby hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination of hardwired andwireless links) through a communications network. Additionally, theservice center may store information about the media devices 100 so thatthe devices may receive one or more services or content from the mediacontent providers.

As previously mentioned, the media devices 100 include a user interface104 that is configured to allow a user to view the received content 110and to navigate through the content. For example, referring to FIGS.3A-3G (also referred to as FIG. 3), several views of an interface areshown by way of example only. It will be appreciated that the interfacesof FIG. 3 may include more or less elements than are illustrated andstill be within the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 3A illustrates a first interface 300. The first interface shows alisting of various types of content that may be accessed by a mediadevice 100. The content can be stored on the device, or may be accessedover a network. Further, embodiments of the invention generate viewsthat combine the types of content that may be accessed from a particularinterface. For instance, the listing illustrated in FIG. 3A includesradio 301, video 302, and podcasts 303 as types of content a user maydesire to view. The listing also includes ellipses 304 that representthere may be numerous other types of content that are also listed.

In operation, a user may navigate through the listing of interface 300to select the type of content he or she desires to access. For instance,if the user desires to access radio content, such as music and talkcontent, the user would select radio 301. The user interface would thenshow the interface illustrated in FIG. 3B. FIG. 3B shows an interface310 that includes a listing of various radio services 311, 312, and 313that may be accessed. The listing of interface 310 also includesellipses 314 that represent there may be numerous other radio servicesavailable to the user. In some embodiments, the services 311, 312, and313 may be provided by different content providers. Embodiments of theinvention thus allow the generation and presentation of user interfacesthat include data streams or content from multiple content providers atthe same time in the same interface.

The user may then navigate through the listing of interface 310 toselect a desired radio service. If the user selected service 311 (alsoillustrated as service 1), the user interface may show the interface 320illustrated in FIG. 3C. FIG. 3C shows an interface 320 that includes alisting of various channels or data streams 321, 322, 323 that areprovided by service 311. For instance, channel 321 (also illustrated aschannel 11) may provide a type of music content such as songs from the1980s. Channel 322 (also illustrated as channel 12) may provide sportstalk content. Channel 323 (also illustrated as channel 13) may providemusic content such as contemporary songs. The listing of interface 320also includes ellipses 324 that represent there may be numerous otherchannels available from service 311.

Unlike the interfaces of FIGS. 3A and 3B, however, the interface 320 ofFIG. 3C may be associated with a service provider. In other words, theprovider of service 311 specifies the rules and the like that govern howthe channels 321-324 are shown and how the user navigates to eachchannel to select a desired channel.

For example, in one embodiment, the interface 320 may correspond to aweb-based interface or the like that a user would access whencommunicating directly with a provider of service 311, such as mediacontent provider 204 a. The media device 100 provides a view of thisinterface to the user of media device 100. In some embodiments, thisinterface is received as part of content 110 and stored in memory 108until accessed by the user. In other embodiments, the interface may bedynamically received from the media content provider 204 a at the timethe user selects service 311 with the device interface 104.

In operation, once the interface 320 is viewable by the user of mediadevice 100, the user may navigate to a desired channel of service 311using the rules specified by the interface. For instance, if the userdesired to listen to music from the 1980s, then the user would selectchannel 321. Once selected, the channel 321 would provide the music tothe listener. As with the interface 320, in some embodiments, thevarious channels 321-324 may be received as content 110 from mediacontent provider 204 a and stored in memory 108 and may then be accessedwhen the user selects a particular channel. In other embodiments, theselected channels 321-324 may be dynamically accessed at the time ofselection.

FIG. 3D shows an interface 330 that is accessed when the user selectsservice 312 (also illustrated as service 2), in interface 310. It willbe appreciated that the service 312 will typically be provided by amedia content provider 204 that is different from the media contentprovider that provides service 311. The interface 330 includes a listingof various channels or data streams 331 (also illustrated as channel21), 332 (also illustrated as channel 22), 333 (also illustrated aschannel 23) that are provided by service 312. The channels 331, 332, and333 may provide, by way of example only, music or talk content unique tothe given channel. The listing of interface 330 also includes ellipses334 that represent there may be numerous other channels available fromservice 312.

As with interface 320, interface 330 is typically defined by the serviceprovider, and may correspond to a web-based interface or the like that auser would access when communicating directly with a provider of service312, such as media content provider 204 b. In operation, the user maynavigate to a desired channel of service 312 using the rules specifiedby the interface. As discussed previously, the selected channel providesits content, which may either be stored in memory 108 or may bedynamically provided by media content provider 204 b.

FIG. 3E shows an interface 340 that is accessed when the user selectsservice 313 (also illustrated as service 3), in interface 310. It willbe appreciated that the service 313 will typically be provided by amedia content provider 204 that is different from the media contentprovider that provides services 311 or 312. The interface 340 includes alisting of various channels or data streams 341 (also illustrated aschannel 31), 342 (also illustrated as channel 32), 343 (also illustratedas channel 33) that are provided by service 313. The channels 341, 342,and 343 may provide music or talk content unique to the given channel.The listing of interface 340 also includes ellipses 344 that representthere may be numerous other channels available from service 312.

As with interfaces 320 and 330, interface 340 is typically defined bythe service provider, and may correspond to a web-based interface or thelike that a user would access when communicating directly with aprovider of service 313, such as media content provider 204 c. Inoperation, the user may navigate to a desired channel of service 313using the rules specified by the interface. As discussed previously, theselected channel provides its content, which may either be stored inmemory 108 or may be dynamically provided by media content provider 204c.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, if the user selected video 302 or podcast303, then interfaces 350 shown in FIGS. 3F and 360 shown in FIG. 3G maybe viewed respectively. These interfaces include various channels ordata streams 351-354 and 361-364 respectively. As with interfaces 320,330, and 340, interfaces 350 and 360 may be defined by the media contentprovider 204 that provides the services. A user would navigate theseinterfaces according to the rules specified by the media contentprovider 204 to access the desired video content or podcast as discussedin relation to interfaces 320, 330, and 340.

As described, the various interfaces of FIG. 3 allow a user to accessmultiple desired content or services from multiple media contentproviders 204. However, as described, the user is typically required toaccess a separate interface for each desired type of content.Conventionally, if a user desires to access radio channel 321, radiochannel 331, video channel 351 and podcast 361, he or she mustseparately navigate to interface 320, 330, 350, and 360 respectively inorder to access these channels. Further, the user is limited to therules specified by the interface provider when accessing the desiredcontent. As will be appreciated, this can be time consuming and maylower the user's listening and/or viewing pleasure.

Advantageously, the embodiments disclosed herein allow for a userdefined view or a view that may be generated by the service center 212of an interface that is configured to list desired data streams frommultiple media content providers 204. In addition, the user definedinterface is not dependent on the interfaces defined by the mediacontent providers, but rather functions according to its own set ofrules.

FIGS. 3A-3G have illustrated an example where the content has beenarranged categorically. In some embodiments, the content can beorganized in other manners, including by user selection, preferencebased, content based, and the like or any combination thereof.Advantageously, at least some of the interfaces illustrated in FIG. 3are not specific to any given content provider, but provide the userwith access to content from multiple content providers. Embodiments ofthe invention allow a user to navigate to select specific contentwithout having to navigate the menus of the various content providersindividually.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the media device 100 includes a selectionmodule 112. Selection module 112 may be comprised of software, hardware,or any combination of software and hardware. In some embodiments,selection module 112 may be part of user interface 104. In operation, auser, typically via user interface 104, may select the desired mediacontent that he or she desires to include in a user customizableinterface in the manner previously described. Alternatively, the usercustomizable interface can be configured by the service center and adaptas the user experiences content. In other words, the service center maydynamically adjust the user interfaces to account for user preferencesand/or user actions.

For example, the user may access interface 320 and select channel 321and may access interface 330 and select channel 333. The user mayfurther access interface 340 and select channel 342, access interface350 and select video channel 351, and access interface 360 and accesspodcast 362. The selection module 112 then tags or otherwise marks thedata streams that have been selected and records this information. Thesedata streams can then be presented in the user interface.

FIG. 1 also illustrates that media device 100 includes an aggregationmodule 114. Aggregation module 114 may be comprised of software,hardware, or any combination of software and hardware. In operation,aggregation module 114 may then access or receive from selection module112 the information specifying the data streams that have been selectedby the user.

The aggregation module 114 then aggregates all of the selected or taggeddata streams and generates a composite view or interface that shows allof the selected data streams from the various services. A user then needonly select the data stream that is viewable in the newly generatedinterface to access the desired content. Advantageously, the generatedinterface lists a pointer to the exact data stream selected by the userand allows the user to select this data stream without the need for anyfurther navigation as will be explained in more detail to follow.

In some embodiments, the aggregation module 114 includes one or moreuser configurable rules 116. The rules 116 allow the user to configurethe composite view or interface in a way that is desirable to the user.For example, the user configurable rules 116 may allow the user tospecify the look and feel of the generated interface. The rules may alsoallow the user to specify how the listed content items are to beselected and the like. Advantageously, the rules 116 ensure that thegenerated interface is not subject to the rules defined by the mediacontent provider as discussed previously. Rather, the configurable rulesallow the user to define the view.

Turning now to FIGS. 4A and 4B (also referred to as FIG. 4), views ofthe interface generated by aggregation module are illustrated. Referringfirst to FIG. 4A, an interface 400 is illustrated. The interface 400 issimilar to interface 300 of FIG. 3A and shows a listing of the varioustypes of content that may be accessed by a media device 100. Forinstance, the listing includes radio 401, video 402, and podcasts 403 astypes of content a user may desire to view. These may be selected aspreviously described. However, interface 400 also includes favorites 404that have been generated by aggregation module 114. The listing alsoincludes ellipses 405 that represent there may be numerous other typesof content that are also listed.

If the user selects the favorites 404, then an interface 410 asillustrated in FIG. 4B will be viewable by the user. The interface 410represents the interface generated by the aggregation module 114. Asmentioned above, the interface 410 includes a listing of several datastreams from multiple media content providers. In addition, theinterface 410 is able to list different types of content.

As illustrated, interface 410 includes a listing that shows channel 321of service 311, channel 333 of service 312, channel 342 of service 313,video channel 351, and podcast 362. Thus, the interface 410 aggregatesmultiple content types from multiple media content providers 204 intoone user configured interface. As mentioned, the interface 410 is notsubject to the rules or navigation defined or established by any mediacontent providers.

In operation, a user who desires to listen to the music or talk contentprovided by channel 321 need only select this channel to access thecontent. Once selected, the content of the channel will be provided tothe listener. In some embodiments, the content may be previously storedin memory 108 and may be accessed from the memory. In other embodiments,the content of channel 321 will by dynamically accessed at the time ofselection. A user need only select the other entries of interface 410 toaccess those data streams. Advantageously, the user is not required todo any additional navigation before selecting the desired data stream.Further, the interface 410 may only list the actual desired data streamsof the available data streams.

Accordingly, the user defined interface 410 is distinct from traditionalfavorites listings such as web browser favorites for several reasons.For example, a traditional favorites listing typically only lists onetype of content, such as a URL in the case of a web browser. The listedURLs would take the user to the designated website, but the user isstill typically required to navigate through the webpage to find adesired data stream. As mentioned, interface 410 may list the desireddata stream and allows the user to access this without furthernavigation.

In addition, typical aggregators are only configured to aggregate onetype of content. For example, typical aggregators may aggregate similartypes of content, but do not aggregate different types of content.However, aggregation module 114 and interface 410 are configured toaggregate different types of content into one view. For example, asillustrated, interface 410 lists three radio channels which providemusic and/or talk audio content, a video channel that provides videocontent, and a podcast channel that provides podcast content. Thus,interface 410 is not limited to any particular type of content, but isable to show numerous different types of content in the userconfigurable view.

In some instances, the device may interact or rely on the service center212. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the service center 212 may act as anintermediary between the content providers 204 and the media devices100. As such, the service center 212 can provide the media devices 100with the information needed to configure a particular user interface. Inaddition, the service center 212 may also be able to generate userinterfaces dynamically, based on demographics, preferences, and/or thedevice of a particular user. Further, the interface presented on aparticular device is often different from the interfaces presented onother devices.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a more detailed depiction is provided of theservice center 212. The service center 212 may include one or moretransceivers 502 for transferring data between itself and the mediadevices and also between itself and the media content providers. Thetransceivers 502 may include both wired and wireless transceivers forcommunicating with any of the network 210, media devices 100 and mediacontent providers 204. The service center 212 may further include one ormore memory modules 506, which may be volatile or non-volatile memory,for storing data received from the media devices 100 and from the mediacontent providers 204. For instance, the memory 506 may include one ormore mapping tables including information about media devices 100 and/ormedia content providers 204. The interface service 212 may also includea processor 504 configured to provide general purpose processing for thevarious modules of the service center as circumstances warrant.

In some embodiments, the service center 212 may also include a selectionmodule 508 and an aggregation module 510. The selection module 508 andthe aggregation module 510 may be comprised of software, hardware, orany combination of software and hardware. These modules may beconfigured to generate interface 410 as will now be explained.

In operation, a media device 100 may provide a request to service center212 that causes the selection module 508 to identify various datastreams a user desires to include in the customizable interface. In someembodiments, the request will cause selection module 508 to communicatedirectly with a media content provider 204. While in communication withthe media content provider 204, the selection module 508 may navigatethrough the media defined interface discussed in relation to FIG. 3 andselect desired content data streams. For instance, these data streamsmay include channel 321 of service 311, channel 333 of service 312,channel 342 of service 312, video channel 350, and podcast 362. Theselection module may then tag or otherwise mark the desired datastreams.

In alternative embodiments, the selection module 508 may be configuredto access media device 100 to identify the desired content data streamsin response to the user input. In such embodiments, various module ofmedia device 100, such as selection module 112, may communicate to theselection module 508 the selected data streams.

The identified data streams may then be provided to aggregation module510. The aggregation module 510 then aggregates all of the selected ortagged content data streams or sources and generates a composite view orinterface 410 that shows all of the selected data streams from thevarious services such as is illustrated in FIG. 4B.

Once the aggregation module has generated the interface 410, this may beprovided to the media device 100, where it may be added to the userinterface of the media device 100. A user then only need use interface410 to access the desired content as previously described.

In some embodiments, the aggregation module 510 includes configurablerules 511. The rules 511, in similar manner to the rules 116, allow theuser or other device or entity to configure the composite view orinterface in a way that is desirable to the user or for a group ofusers. For example, the configurable rules 511 may allow the user tospecify the look and feel of the generated interface. The rules may alsoallow the user to specify how the listed content data streams are to beselected and the like. Advantageously, the rules 511 ensure that thegenerated interface is not subject to the rules defined by the mediacontent provider as discussed previously. As will be appreciated, theuser will cause the aggregation module 511 to utilize the rules whengenerating the interface 410.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which illustrates a method 600 for amedia device to generate a view of a user configurable interfaceconfigured to show user selected content or services. The method 600 maybe practiced in a system including one or more media devices thatreceive content or services from one or more media content providers,although this not required. Further, the method 600 may be practiced inan environment where a particular device is capable of receiving contentfrom multiple content providers.

Method 600 includes identifying 602 one or more content data streamsincluded in one or more interface views defined by one or more mediacontent providers of the one or more content data streams. For example auser may utilize user interface 104 and/or selection module 112 toidentify one or more of the content data streams illustrated in theinterfaces of FIG. 3. These content data streams may be include theradio channels of services 311-312, the video channels of video service340, or the podcasts of podcast service 350. As described, these contentdata streams may be provided by different media content providers 204.

Method 600 also includes selecting 604 at least a portion of theidentified content data streams that are to be included in a userconfigurable interface view. For example, a user may utilize userinterface 104 and/or selection module 112 to tag or otherwise markdesired content data streams.

Method 600 further includes aggregating 606 the selected portion of thecontent data streams from the one or more interface views and generating608 the user configurable interface view. For example, the aggregationmodule 114 may aggregate the selected content data streams and may thengenerate the user configurable interface view. As illustrated by FIG.4B, the generated user interface 410 includes a listing of at leastlinks or pointers to the selected content data streams. In addition, asdiscussed above, the interface 410 is independent of the interface viewsdefined by the media content providers 204. Rather, in some embodimentsinterface 410 is governed by user configurable rules 116 that allow theuser to determine the look and feel of the user interface.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a method 700 for generating a view of a userconfigurable interface configured to show user selected content orservices is illustrated. The method 700 may be practiced in a systemincluding one or more media devices that receive content or servicesfrom one or more media content providers, although this not required.

Method 700 includes identifying 702 one or more content data streamsincluded in one or more interface views defined by one or more mediacontent providers of the one or more content data streams in response toreceiving user input. For example, the service center 212 may receive arequest from a media device 100 that causes the service center toidentify the content data streams. The user may then utilize selectionmodule 508 to identify the one or more of the content data streamsillustrated in the interfaces of FIG. 3. These content data streams maybe include the radio channels of services 311-312, the video channels ofvideo service 340, or the podcasts of podcast service 350. As described,these content data streams may be provided by different media contentproviders 204.

Method 700 also includes selecting 704 at least a portion of theidentified content data streams that are to be included in a userconfigurable interface view. For example, a user may utilize selectionmodule 508 to tag or otherwise mark desired content data streams.

Method 700 further includes aggregating 706 the selected portion of thecontent data streams from the one or more interface views and generating708 the user configurable interface view, For example, the aggregationmodule 114 may aggregate the selected content data streams and may thengenerate the user configurable interface view. As illustrated by FIG.4B, the generated user interface 410 includes a listing of at leastlinks or pointers to the selected content data streams. In addition, asdiscussed above, the interface 410 is independent of the interface viewsdefined by the media content providers 204

Method 700 additionally includes providing 710 the generatedconfigurable interface view to a media device. For example, once it hasgenerated interface 410, the service center 212 may provide theinterface 410 to the media device 100. The interface 410 may then beadded to the interfaces of the media device 100 as illustrated in FIG.4A. A user then need only access and utilize the interface 410 to accessthe listed content data streams as discussed previously.

Embodiments herein may comprise a special purpose or general-purposecomputer including various computer hardware. Media devices are examplesof special purpose computers. Embodiments may also includecomputer-readable media for carrying or having computer-executableinstructions or data structures stored thereon. Such computer-readablemedia can be any available media that can be accessed by a generalpurpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carryor store desired program code means in the form of computer-executableinstructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a generalpurpose or special purpose computer. When information is transferred orprovided over a network or another communications connection (eitherhardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to acomputer, the computer properly views the connection as acomputer-readable medium. Thus, any such connection is properly termed acomputer-readable medium. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media.

Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function orgroup of functions. Although the subject matter has been described inlanguage specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, itis to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appendedclaims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actsdescribed above. Rather, the specific features and acts described aboveare disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed:
 1. In a system including one or more media devices thatreceive data streams from a plurality of media content providers, amethod for a media device from amongst the one or more media devices togenerate a custom user interface configured to display selected datastreams available to be streamed to the media device, the methodcomprising: displaying, on a media device, a first user interfacedefined and hosted by a first third-party media content provider, thefirst user interface displaying a first plurality of data streamsprovided by the first third-party media content provider that areavailable to be streamed to the media device, the first user interfacedisplaying the first plurality of data streams in accordance with rulesdefined and hosted by the first third-party media content provider;displaying, on the media device, a second user interface defined by asecond third-party media content provider, the second user interfacedisplaying a second plurality of data streams provided by the secondthird-party media content provider that are available to be streamed tothe media device, the second user interface displaying the secondplurality of data streams in accordance with rules defined by the secondthird-party media content provider; receiving user input, at the mediadevice, that selects, from the first user interface a first subset ofthe first plurality of data streams available to be streamed to themedia device; receiving user input, at the media device, that selects,from the second user interface a second subset of the first plurality ofdata streams available to be streamed to the media device; based on theuser input that selects the first and second subsets, generating acustom user interface for displaying the first subset of the firstplurality of data streams and the second subset of the second pluralityof data streams together within the custom user interface, the customuser interface being independent of the first and second userinterfaces; displaying the custom user interface on the media devicesuch that the first subset of the first plurality of data streams andthe second subset of the second plurality of data streams are displayedtogether within the custom user interface and such that thedetermination of which data streams are displayed within the custom userinterface is based on user interaction with the first and second userinterfaces defined and hosted by the first and second third-party mediacontent providers respectively; receiving user input that selects afirst data stream of the data streams displayed in the custom userinterface, the first data stream being provided by the first third-partymedia content provider; and commencing streaming of the first datastream without requiring the user to navigate to the first userinterface and select the first data stream.
 2. The method in accordancewith claim 1, wherein the custom user interface is further configurableusing a set of user defined rules that specify the look and feel of thecustom user interface.
 3. The method in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe data streams are audio data streams.
 4. The method in accordancewith claim 1, wherein the data streams include audio and video datastreams.
 5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the customuser interface also displays selected content available locally on themobile media device.
 6. The method in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe first data stream comprises a satellite radio data stream.
 7. Themethod in accordance with claim 1, wherein the data streams available tobe streamed to the mobile media device include satellite data streamsand internet data streams.
 8. The method in accordance with claim 1,wherein the data streams available to be streamed to the mobile mediadevice include satellite data streams, internet data streams, andterrestrial data streams.
 9. The method in accordance with claim 1,further comprising: after the custom user interface has been generated,displaying a third user interface defined by a third third-party mediacontent provider, the third user interface displaying a third pluralityof data streams provided by the third third-party media contentprovider; receiving user input that selects a data stream of the thirdplurality of data streams; and automatically adding the selected datastream of the third plurality of data streams to the custom userinterface.
 10. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein generatingthe custom user interface comprises: transmitting, to a service center,an indication of the selection of the first and second subsets;receiving, from the service center, custom rules for displaying datastreams in the custom user interface; and rendering the custom userinterface in accordance with the custom rules.
 11. The method inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the user input that selects the firstsubset of the first plurality of data streams comprises user input thatselects to stream the first subset of the first plurality of datastreams via the first user interface.
 12. One or more non-transitorycomputer readable media storing computer executable instructions whichwhen executed by one or more processors implement a method for a mediadevice from amongst the one or more media devices to generate a customuser interface configured to display selected data streams available tobe streamed to the media device, the method comprising: displaying, on amedia device, a first user interface defined and hosted by a firstthird-party media content provider, the first user interface displayinga first plurality of data streams provided by the first third-partymedia content provider that are available to be streamed to the mediadevice, the first user interface displaying the first plurality of datastreams in accordance with rules defined and hosted by the firstthird-party media content provider; displaying, on the media device, asecond user interface defined by a second third-party media contentprovider, the second user interface displaying a second plurality ofdata streams provided by the second third-party media content providerthat are available to be streamed to the media device, the second userinterface displaying the second plurality of data streams in accordancewith rules defined by the second third-party media content provider;receiving user input, at the media device, that selects, from the firstuser interface, a first subset of the first plurality of data streamsavailable to be streamed to the media device; receiving user input, atthe media device, that selects, from the second user interface, a secondsubset of the first plurality of data streams available to be streamedto the media device; based on the user input that selects the first andsecond subsets, generating a custom user interface for displaying thefirst subset of the first plurality of data streams and the secondsubset of the second plurality of data streams together within thecustom user interface, the custom user interface being independent ofthe first and second user interfaces; displaying the custom userinterface on the media device such that the first subset of the firstplurality of data streams and the second subset of the second pluralityof data streams are displayed together within the custom user interfaceand such that the determination of which data streams are displayedwithin the custom user interface is based on user interaction with thefirst and second user interfaces defined and hosted by the first andsecond third-party media content providers respectively; receiving userinput that selects a first data stream of the data streams displayed inthe custom user interface, the first data stream being provided by thefirst third-party media content provider; and commencing streaming ofthe first data stream without requiring the user to navigate to thefirst user interface and select the first data stream.
 13. The computerreadable media of claim 12, wherein the at least some of the datastreams comprise video.
 14. The computer readable media of claim 12,wherein at least some of the data streams comprise audio.
 15. Thecomputer readable media of claim 12, wherein at least some of the datastreams are received via the internet.
 16. The computer readable mediaof claim 12, wherein the first user interface comprises a web-basedinterface.
 17. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein the userinput that selects the first subset of the first plurality of datastreams comprises user input that selects to stream the first subset ofthe first plurality of data streams via the first user interface.
 18. Acomputing device comprising: one or more processors; and memory storingcomputer executable instructions which when executed by the one or moreprocessors perform a method for generating a custom user interfaceconfigured to display selected data streams available to be streamed tothe computing device, the method comprising: displaying, on a mediadevice, a first user interface defined and hosted by a first third-partymedia content provider, the first user interface displaying a firstplurality of data streams provided by the first third-party mediacontent provider that are available to be streamed to the media device,the first user interface displaying the first plurality of data streamsin accordance with rules defined and hosted by the first third-partymedia content provider; displaying, on the media device, a second userinterface defined by a second third-party media content provider, thesecond user interface displaying a second plurality of data streamsprovided by the second third-party media content provider that areavailable to be streamed to the media device, the second user interfacedisplaying the second plurality of data streams in accordance with rulesdefined by the second third-party media content provider; receiving userinput, at the media device, that selects, from the first user interface,a first subset of the first plurality of data streams available to bestreamed to the media device; receiving user input, at the media device,that selects, from the second user interface, a second subset of thefirst plurality of data streams available to be streamed to the mediadevice; based on the user input that selects the first and secondsubsets, generating a custom user interface for displaying the firstsubset of the first plurality of data streams and the second subset ofthe second plurality of data streams together within the custom userinterface, the custom user interface being independent of the first andsecond user interfaces; displaying the custom user interface on themedia device such that the first subset of the first plurality of datastreams and the second subset of the second plurality of data streamsare displayed together within the custom user interface and such thatthe determination of which data streams are displayed within the customuser interface is based on user interaction with the first and seconduser interfaces defined and hosted by the first and second third-partymedia content providers respectively; receiving user input that selectsa first data stream of the data streams displayed in the custom userinterface, the first data stream being provided by the first third-partymedia content provider; and commencing streaming of the first datastream without requiring the user to navigate to the first userinterface and select the first data stream.
 19. The computing device ofclaim 18, wherein the user input that selects the first subset of thefirst plurality of data streams comprises user input that selects tostream the first subset of the first plurality of data streams via thefirst user interface.
 20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein atleast some of the data streams are received via the internet.